Isabel
by tutorwife93
Summary: AU: Taken from the webclip for episode 12 Father Unfigured . Instead of the letters, Lux finds a box. Cate/Lux bonding oneshot


**Isabel**

**A/N: Just because I've been watching Roswell nonstop for 3 days and this popped into my head because I literally cannot wait till next episode! Oh, and I changed a few things so it's pretty much completely AU**

"Are we done yet?" Lux asked as she sat back-to-back with Cate, sorting through boxes in her grandmother's attic.

"No... we are done when we find my grandmother's broach. It's my something old. So just keep looking." Cate said as she moved items from one box to the next.

Lux rolled her eyes but continued looking nonetheless. "By the time we find it, everything will be old _including_ us."

They sat in silence for a few seconds, Lux picking up an old blue box. "Oh my god. What is this?" Her face crumbled in confusion and disgust.

Cate turned around to look, reaching over to take the box. "Oh... it's my old head gear." She reminisced as she opened the box. "Just saying it fills me with loneliness and self-hate."

Lux pulled out a folder, looking at it in confusion as Cate proceeded to try on her head gear. "Who's Kirk Cameron?"

"Hmm?" Cate turned around, pulling off her head gear as Lux smirked. "Oh, he's an eighties teen idol turned born again. I wasn't really that into him." She whispered, pulling the folder out of Lux's grasp as her daughter smirked, mocking her.

"Well there's lipstick on the pictures..."

"Okay, enough." Lux smirked. "Just keep looking. The quicker we find the broach, the quicker we're out of here and out of this attic."

They resumed their search, Lux again contorting her face in confusion as she came across a black decorative box with one simple name on it. "Who's Isabel?"

"Huh?" Cate froze at the name, turning around.

Lux opened the box, looking through the items in confusion. "Everything in here says 'Isabel'."

Cate paled, turning so that she was facing Lux as she gently took the box from her. She carefully trailed each item with her fingers. They were tacky things mainly; a mug, a drink bottle, a keychain, a cap; but they were all personalized with the name 'Isabel'.

Cate emptied the items from the box one by one, Lux watching her confused. Finally, Cate came to a stop on the final item in the box, a baby book.

She lifted it out, smiling as she traced her fingers over the embroidered gold writing. 'Isabel Olivia Cassidy'.

"Who is she?" Lux's voice broke her from her thoughts.

Cate looked up at her and smiled, her eyes glassy. "She was you. Or at least, who you were going to be." Lux's confusion caused her to continue. "I chose a name. In case I kept you... I chose a name."

"Oh." Was all Lux could reply with, but shifted closer to Cate to look at the book.

Cate sighed, holding the book close and watching as Lux picked up a few of the items. "Just before you were born, I bought this baby book. Just in case, you know. And then after I gave you away, it got worse. I just kept buying all of these things. I couldn't get the name, I couldn't get _you_, off of my mind. Eventually my mom threatened to send me to a therapist so I stopped." She paused, trying to read Lux's face for emotion, to see if she should continue. "But for sixteen years, you were always Isabel to me."

Cate and Lux sat in silence, watching each other.

"Where's it from?" Lux asked Cate suddenly. "The name?"

Cate looked at her surprised. "Oh! I, uh, I just always loved the name Isabel. Ever since I was a little girl. And Olivia was... Olivia was after Baze."

Lux raised an eyebrow, looking at her both confused and amused. "That's new." She smirked.

Cate laughed before explaining. "His middle name is Oliver so I figured 'Olivia' was a way for you to be connected to him as well."

"Oh." Again, Lux had no response. "Can I see?" She asked eventually and Cate nodded, handing Lux the book but shifting closer so she could see too.

Lux flipped open the cover slowly, stopping on the first page. It was a sonagram picture, obviously of Lux, and it looked to be around the three month stage. There was another on the second page, and one final one on the third, each time, the baby; Lux, was bigger.

Lux turned the page again, emotion overcoming her as she saw it. A much younger Cate sat in a white hospital bed, dressed in a hospital gown. Her hair was long and straight, hanging around her shoulders although she wasn't looking at the camera. Her attention was on a small bundle in her arms, wrapped in a pink blanket. Her pale face was shining and wet from tears, but the overwhelming love was clear on her face.

"Cate?" Lux asked concerned, looking at Cate who had a silent tear running down her cheek. Cate swiped it away quickly, looking at Lux. "That's me?"

Cate smiled sadly at her daughter, instinctively shifting closer to Lux and placing a hand on hers. "Yeah. The day you were born." She sighed. "I don't really remember much, but they told me I held you for seven straight hours before they took you away."

Lux bit her lip, staring at the picture, unsure of how to feel. Finally, she squeezed Cate's hand and smiled at her sadly, an unspoken vow pausing between the two of them.

Silently, they closed the book and packed the items back into the box carefully, both automatically laying a hand on top of it.

"Cate?"

Cate looked up at her and Lux smiled back shyly. "I like it. Isabel. I mean, it would have been a good choice."


End file.
